Emergence: Cities of the Future

The studio investigates extreme climatic, topographical, social and economic challenges in the year 2071. These cities of the future demand advanced design solutions for the distribution and variation in flows of energy, material and population that can address the challenges of abundance or scarcity of various types. We will follow the process of form generation in nature (morphogenesis) - using Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection. Urban design deals with multiple interrelated systems like networks, nodes, open-spaces and built-units. Applying the Theory of Emergence for form generation helps simplify the complexity of urban systems. The microclimatic, typological and social organisations of urban tissues are studied, and analysed for interactions across the hierarchical levels - analogous to cell, tissue, and organ to develop a generative set of rules. An evolutionary algorithm is computationally scripted to generate multiple iterations to optimize design based on data analysis and multiple, opposing fitness criteria. The design methodology emphasizes logic-driven, parametrically defined design solutions that can be evaluated on the basis of pre-defined criteria.